Frustrated at their more than decade-long pleas to the village panchayat to get regular supply of water to their village, more than 30 residents of Mel-hatty Kappatty village in Nedugala, Kotagiri, staged a protest in front of the panchayat union office in Kotagiri recently.
The residents said that their sole source of water was a small stream flowing down from a cliff, from where pipes were used to bring the water to their village.
A tank that was built more than a decade ago was supposed to store the water from the pipe, but was in disuse as the pipes had become disconnected.
“Every few days, animals such as Gaur and sloth bear damage the pipes coming from the stream, and we have to walk around 4 km and check where the pipes have been damaged and use rubber tubes to connect them once more to ensure water reaches our village,” said A. Kumar, a resident.
The residents said that they had been complaining to the village panchayat officials for many years, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
“There are around 35 families living in the village, and unless something is done to solve our problems, we will refuse to vote in the upcoming local body elections,” said L. Lakshmi, another resident.
The residents said that due to lack of water, many of them stayed up late into the night to collect water from the pipe and bring it to their village, braving wild animals in the process.
After their protests, officials from the Nedugala village came to Mel-hatty and assured locals that they would try to get a bore or a well dug for them.